Nightmare's End
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Haruhi thought moving to Japan would give her a break from the sheer craziness that was Potter Luck. She couldn't be more wrong. Once again supernatural forces conspire to make her the leader of an unusual group of friends to uncover the mystery of a force bent on world domination. A hero's work is never done...
1. Chapter 1

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

* * *

Okay, so her original move to Japan hadn't been as smooth as she hoped for. She could live with that, even if she had to move_ again_ before she even had a chance to settle in to her apartment.

That arrogant muggle should be grateful she had shown enough mercy not to pull out the big guns. Honestly, the way he was treating that woman and the fact he felt no qualm in leveling such a ridiculous charge against her.

At least she was able to get something close to a clean-slate. A few alterations to her admission letter, a minor alteration to her name and gender, and there was next to no chance anyone would be able to find her 'criminal' record which was deleted the second the Japanese Ministry found out what happened at the trial.

She had diplomatic immunity, one granted by the Queen herself. The charge was complete bullshit, and the only reason she went to trial in the first place was because she was _trying_ to keep a low profile and didn't actually think that she would end up with a criminal record.

She wanted to sigh, but right now she had bigger problems.

Like figuring out how to use the damn GPS app to find her new temporary home until she graduated.

She was lucky there was someone who had an extra room that happened to be the legal guardian of an underage witch. In exchange for teaching the girl magic, she'd get room and board. The man in question would get a stipend for as long as she lived with him and his custody of the girl (who wasn't actually blood related to him) would become legal and permanent.

She had specifically picked him because his main motivation was to gain full custody of his friend's daughter, rather than let her uncle who only wanted her because of the stipend. She had him investigated and found that the cafe owner was paying the uncle to stay away from the girl, and was doing everything in his power to help the girl heal from the trauma she suffered.

She barely listened to the sound of the girls near her chatting about some teen detective. She didn't see the appeal, to be truthful. So he had some looks and luck when it came to solving crimes. Eventually he'd get too old for the people to care about and he'd have to either become a_ real_ cop or find out the hard way that being a private detective was a lot harder than it looked when you weren't pretty enough to do interviews anymore.

It was with some annoyance that a random app appeared.

She might have been raised among the normal people, but that didn't mean she knew how to use a smart phone beyond the most basic functions. Never mind trying to delete the stupid app.

She paused as the world seemed to slow to a standstill. In the near distance was a strange golden figure that was rather feminine and looked very familiar.

It took her a moment to realize why.

That was the same golden figure she had seen that night when she martyred herself for a cause she had never believed in anyway. The figure that had given her the 'push' to come to Japan and try to get a clean start on her life.

"Lady," she whispered.

The moment the figure registered to her, she was gone and the world reasserted itself.

One of these days she'd get a solid idea of who the Lady was, outside of a force that was stronger than any human could have a hope in hell of being.

It took her two and a half hours to _find_ the cafe, and getting lost twice.

"You took your time," commented the cafe owner, Sakura-san.

"One, I only got a general direction from the GPS which is ridiculously complicated. Two, it took me twice as long to actually find this place after finding a very unhelpful police officer who was irritated that a gaijin needed help with directions, despite the fact I was speaking fluent Japanese," she replied, face twitching. "Third, your cafe is in an out of the way spot and this is my first time in Shinjiku."

"...Fair enough."

"So where is my study partner?" asked Haruhi.

"She's at the house...unfortunately she's been rather reluctant to leave her room much recently and nothing I've done has helped much."

"Well I have ways around that minor problem. She doesn't have to come out of the room so long as she's willing to interact however indirectly with me."

Part of the deal she had with Sakura-san was that she would tutor his adopted daughter in magic, if Futaba would help catch her up on more mundane subjects...like how to use the smart phone she had bought that had given her no end of trouble. Even after reading the user's manual three times, she still couldn't get the hang of the damn thing.

"I'll introduce you to Futaba on the weekend. That will give you time to settle in and get used to the area," said Sojiro.

"Fair enough."

"I'm only going to say this once... I'll drive you to the school tomorrow, but after that you'll have to ride the trains. I'll write down which ones you need to take," said Sojiro.

"Got it boss," said Haruhi calmly.

"Just keep your head down until the year is over," said Sojiro. "I want everything to be as calm as possible, considering the circumstances. Though I have to ask, why didn't you simply tell them you had immunity when you had the chance?"

"I didn't think it would escalate as far as it did, especially on completely bogus charges. That being said if anything happens I fully intend to spring that on the prosecution to avoid a prison sentence. A year of probation doesn't really mean much to me...never mind the fact it's on an assumed name," said Haruhi shrugging.

A criminal charge as low-level as the one she had on her record meant jack squat because she wasn't in the country under her actual name. And all sorts of bells and whistles would start going off the _second_ any half-assed cop ran her real name in their system, which would alert the magical Ministry that something was up and they would send their senior operatives to find out what was going on.

They already knew about the bogus charge on her current name.

_The next morning..._

Shujin Academy made her feel claustrophobic. There was something majorly wrong with the school, she just couldn't pin down what it was. She had a feeling it was something to do with the faculty.

Oh well...she'd find out soon enough once she actually started school.

The next morning, she got up extra early to try and make the train. She just _knew_ she was going to get lost and would need the extra time.

At least she got some decent coffee out of the deal. She might be a tea drinker in general, but at the hour she got up she needed the extra boost of caffeine just to be remotely "nice".

Sojiro-san was glad he wasn't drinking anything when she idly made the comment "Caffeine helps to maintain my 'do not kill idiots' streak".

He packed a to-go cup for her...which she gave him a grateful smile for. He made no comment about the fact she was wearing the _male_ uniform, considering she found it annoying when boys tried to ask her out when she just wanted to get the year over with.

Her previous attempts at dating were nothing short of disasters, so she would rather get her education over with before she even considered attempting it.

She resolutely did _not_ think about the fucked up dream she had the night before, or how accurate the analogy of a caged bird with chains on her was to describe how her life had gone for the most part. The freaky goblin-creature and the weird twins didn't even remotely enter on her radar of weird crap.

When one spent the majority of their teenage years in the magical enclaves, you tended to build up a healthy level of "Meh, I've seen stranger".

Especially the way she kept getting into random adventures each year for no apparent reason.

* * *

Haruhi twitched as the migraine hit and things felt... well, like the last time she ate Luna's special brownies and the world turned aquamarine.

No, she was not kidding about that. That was the only way she could remotely describe the sheer oddness she had endured for two days straight. Not that she was complaining mind you, she was just happy Luna didn't mind sharing the recipe which was _technically_ legal among the muggles.

She had the distinct feeling she would need to make a batch of the special brownies just to get through this particular headache. She had moved away from England to get _away_ from this crap!

Rather than get caught by the obvious trap, she sent a discreet blast of magic that got her away from the 'guards'. Fortunately she was able to get a disillusionment charm off, so she was able to slip away.

"What the hell dude? Why did you slip away like that?"

"Do you want out of the cell or not?" she asked flatly.

"...Yes please."

She managed to get the door open, and a few moments work freed him.

"Seriously though, how did you get out of that?"

"Practice. I knew from the start those things were bad news, so I managed to duck out before they could catch me. It means I was free to find you and get you out of there," said Haruhi flatly.

"You're a weird one, but you're definitely reliable," he replied.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You know I never did get your name."

"Kurosaki Haruhi."

"Sakamoto Ryuji."

Haruhi's face was twitching rampantly when the 'king' of the castle appeared...mostly due to what he was wearing, or the lack thereof.

"For the love of god, wear some damn pants! No one wants to see your junk or lack thereof hanging out!" snapped Haruhi. Ryuji nodded, more than a little green at the mental image she presented.

Haruhi felt a warmth fill her body as she heard a voice speak to her. It sounded very familiar.

Her glasses were replaced by an odd golden flame that formed into a mask. Words whispered in her head, goading her into fighting back against the cage she had been trapped in her entire life. To be free, and to inspire others to become free themselves.

Instinct had her ripping the mask off her face, the pain nothing compared to what she had already been through. She _sensed_ something form behind her once it was off, as the words of the covenant were spoken once more.

_I am thou. Thou art I. You who seek blasphemy for the sake of thine own justice and truth! Call upon my name, and release thine fury! Show the strength of thine own will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to chaos itself!_

Her eyes shined golden, with a spark not unlike the Black Madness. Power welled from her very soul as she felt the familiar, almost comforting presence of the same being that touched her that night in the forest, when she willingly sacrificed herself to Riddle in order to get rid of that damn Horcrux.

It was a light that shined so brilliantly in a sea of darkness. Neither good nor evil, but chaos itself. It could bring creation or destruction, depending on It's mood and it seemed fate had chosen her to be it's Champion among the mortals.

"_Nightmare!"_ she cried out, as a figure formed behind her in gold.

It was a sorceress of some sort, one wreathed in gold and with an orb of black in her right hand.

"_Kill him!"_ shouted the fake king.

The orb shot out streaks of black that caused the fake knights to collapse upon themselves. Haruhi didn't think twice...she took a proper stance before punching that fake right in the face with a right straight.

"Nice hit!" said Ryuji.

She knocked him into the prison and promptly locked him in. Considering she had been free when Ryuji was thrown into the cell, she was able to lead them out of the gaudy castle in short order.

"Seriously, what the fuck was that about?" said Ryuji.

"The sad thing is that wasn't the strangest thing to happen to me. That being said, keep quiet about the castle we were in. I highly doubt the adults would believe us about what happened," said Haruhi.

"True. I was there and I still can't believe it!"

She looked at the time and winced.

"I think our best defense is to claim the trains ran behind and we got lost trying to find an alternate route."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen the time?"

Ryuji looked at his own phone, then cursed.

"Shit... I think you're right. Better claim we got held up by the trains and a bad route," he said.

"If anyone asks, I'll say you were trying to lead me to the school since I just moved here and I still can't work this stupid GPS app."

"Gotcha," said Ryuji in agreement.

Haruhi had to hold back a shiver of disgust when she saw the gym teacher...mostly because her mind kept going back to that ridiculous outfit he was wearing in the fake castle.

"You want to go back to the castle?" said Haruhi.

"I have the feeling we'll find evidence against that creep Kamoshida!" said Ryuji.

Haruhi sighed.

"What _exactly_ is your beef with that pervert?"

When she heard Ryuji's story, she had to feel more than a little empathetic to him.

"I'll help you. Fortunately combat with strange powers happens to be a specialty of mine, but I highly doubt anyone is going to talk to us," said Haruhi. She took a bite of her ramen...it was better than she expected.

"Why not?"

"Embarrassment and pride, mostly. They're so wrapped up in their belief that allowing this nonsense to continue will help their future prospects that they ignore the trauma being done. And if we try to get them to talk, they'll clam up. At this point none of them will be willing to say anything because from what I can tell the Principal already knows what's going on but is likely paying people off to keep it quiet because he wants to maintain the school's reputation," said Haruhi bluntly. "That and people abused by those in authority over others rarely have the ability to speak up. I bet a few tried already and were ignored, which discouraged the rest."

Ryuji paused in eating his bowl and looked at her.

"Why do I have the weird feeling you're speaking from experience?"

"My last chemistry teacher despised my father over a grudge held from when they were both students, and was a man who hated children. He was a foul, vicious person who took inordinate pleasure in harassing his students and despite numerous complaints the headmaster glossed it all over for reasons I'll never understand," said Haruhi.

"Yikes. How did he get the job in the first place?"

"It gets even better...the bastard only avoided a prison sentence because of the headmaster and was stuck in a position he hated because he owed the old fool. He was part of a group that held similar beliefs to the Nazis," said Haruhi darkly.

Killing Snape had been _incredibly_ satisfying, and she would spit on the ridiculous notion Dumbledore had at _redemption_. Snape didn't deserve it...he had made his bed and he should have had to suffer the consequences, but got off because of Dumbledore's meddling.

"So trying to get witnesses is going to be impossible," said Ryuji, looking pissed.

"Trying to get the victims to speak up will be impossible. Getting our _own_ evidence he's abusing his position will be easier. After all...body cameras might be expensive, but they're not illegal to own or use on school grounds."

"You planning to buy used or something?"

Haruhi looked a little sheepish.

"I was going to try and buy online, honestly. Once I figure out how."

"I know a place that might sell them, or at least have an idea where we can go," said Ryuji. "It's a bit pricy but they sell quality stuff!"

On the plus side, Haruhi had made a new friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryuji looked at the things Haruhi picked up.

"You sure you can afford this? I mean wouldn't your parents flip out at the price tag?"

"Not really," said Haruhi.

Considering she didn't have any hobbies anyway, this was a fun investment. Besides, she had enough gold to buy that small store ten times over and still have change left.

She took something out of the bag.

"Here."

Ryuji blinked and looked at the box she was handing him. It took him a few moments to realize that she handed him the same model he had been looking at and had to give up because it was way out of his price range.

"Seriously?" he asked, shocked.

"I noticed you were looking at it," said Haruhi. "Besides, I wouldn't have been able to find this place myself."

Actually she got it mostly as a test to see how he would react. Ron had always been jealous of the fact she was wealthy, when she would have given it up in a heartbeat to have her family back.

Ryuji held the model with surprise. He seemed to be very confused as to why she had given it to him.

"Why give it to me though?"

"Well you did help me find my way to school. Besides, I had a friend once who reacted badly every time I spent more than his family could afford," said Haruhi simply.

Ryuji blinked.

"So you wanted to see how I would react?"

"Mostly," she admitted.

Ryuji looked at the box, and had an idea.

"Tell you what... How about I repay you for this by showing you how to use your phone properly?"

"...Does that include showing me how to delete or download apps?" she asked.

"Yup. I noticed you were using the hunt and peck method when you were trying to use the GPS app earlier," said Ryuji.

Haruhi looked a tad embarrassed. It was a pretty big sign you were from the magical enclaves if you couldn't use a phone like second nature.

"Deal," said Haruhi.

"But seriously, it doesn't bother me that your family is loaded. Takamaki's family is pretty well off and we've been friends for years," said Ryuji.

"Takamaki?"

"Remember the blond girl that was at the train station that got in the car with that creep Kamoshida?" asked Ryuji. Haruhi nodded. "That's Takamaki."

"Oh, her. Yeah, I have the feeling she's not really into that pervert at all. Knowing him he's probably blackmailing her for his own ego," said Haruhi.

"You sure?"

"Think about it...she has 'exotic' looks and a decent figure. Someone like Kamoshida wouldn't hesitate to find a way to blackmail her in order to sleep with her," said Haruhi flatly.

"Good point," said Ryuji.

"Besides, she didn't look too thrilled to be in that car with him from what I saw."

"So why were you so calm about the fact everyone knows you're on probation?" asked Ryuji.

Because that bugged him. Haruhi acted like it was no big deal that everyone knew about their records being leaked.

"I'm not Japanese," said Haruhi.

"Eh?!" said Ryuji in shock.

Haruhi turned to look at him amused.

"I'm actually British," said Haruhi.

And with how the British magicals viewed her, none of them were going to give an iota of damn about the false assault charge. Honestly, it wasn't like she cared what people thought of her...she had long since learned to ignore it.

_The next evening_

They were back at the castle again, and Haruhi felt rather amused that she was completely unfazed by the idea of a talking cat.

"You look absolutely adorable," she told Morgana.

Morgana blushed a bit, though he would only figure out later why.

At least Ryuji gained his own persona of their second impromptu trip into the castle.

* * *

Haruhi felt incredibly offended watching the way Kamoshida treated Takamaki. She despised misogynists, and Kamoshida was one of the worst. It didn't help that Takamaki gained her Persona right when the shadow Kamoshida was about to assault her.

She looked at her four allies and stated with no little anger...

"I vote that if we run into this prick while stealing the treasure, we kick him at least once in the balls."

"Fair enough to me!" said Ryuji, looking all too pleased at the prospect. Takamaki nodded heartily.

"I thought you already hit him with that occult thing you were doing last night?" said Morgana.

"Occult thing?" said Ryuji.

"I'm a Wiccan. Means I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make his life hell without any of it being traced back to me," said Haruhi. "Keep a close eye on Kamoshida tomorrow...he's going to be terrified of his balls falling off."

"What did you do to him?" asked Takamaki, darkly fascinated.

"I used a special herbal remedy that will put obvious discolored spots on his boy parts. It'll freak him out enough that he'll definitely visit a doctor, and the coloration will only get more alarming once he comes into contact with modern medicine," said Haruhi.

"That is terrifying and hilarious," said Ryuji with a shiver. "Wait, how did you dose him?"

"Broke into his office to place the hidden camera, and while I was there decided to have a bit of fun. Trust me, he's going to be in his own personal hell soon," said Haruhi darkly.

Takamaki developed an instant liking of Haruhi once she realized what sort of torture she put that pervert through. She had to give the other teen credit where credit was due...Kamoshida looked terrible and he had quit trying to harass her into sleeping with him.

"So what do we do with Kamoshida?"

"We continue with the plan to steal his treasure. Once we have a decent path set up to it, we'll send out an announcement of sorts to provoke him and steal it," said Morgana from Haruhi's bag.

"Sounds like fun," said Haruhi. "If we succeed, does anyone feel like eating out?"

"I don't think celebrating at a fast food places is a good idea, and I'm not that big a fan of ramen," said Takamaki.

"I mean like a real restaurant, not a chain one," corrected Haruhi.

"I'm in!" said Ryuji.

"It'll be expensive, and I've already spent most of my allowance this month. After all the stress that jerk Kamoshida's been putting me through, my budget is somewhat tight," said Takamaki uncomfortably.

"It'll be my treat," said Haruhi. "I mostly want to get examples of food that I can try to recreate later, since cooking is a hobby of mine. But I don't know any decent restaurants."

"Well in that case I know of one place, but I've never been to it personally," said Takamaki cheering up. "Though it'll be a while before we can pay you back."

"You can repay me by giving me honest critiques about my food," said Haruhi. "I've never really made anything other than British food, and most of the time I was stuck with people who had a set idea of what they wanted and refused to deviate from it."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were British. Your accent is so good I barely even notice you're not Japanese," said Ryuji. That plus Haruhi's natural coloring was so similar to the locals that it made it easy to ignore.

Takamaki looked interested, and Haruhi was pleased to make a new friend.

"By the way, what did you do to Kamoshida? He's been unable to touch a volleyball or anything," said Takamaki the next morning.

"Ghost pepper oil on the driver's side door and his steering wheel. Until he figures out the counter to it, his hands are going to hurt like hell," said Haruhi simply. "I figure if his hands hurt too much to abuse the students, the worst he will be able to do is yell at them. Who knows, having someone maliciously prank that bastard might encourage them to speak up."

"How did you not get caught? I know for a fact there's security cameras on the parking lot where the teachers leave their cars!" said Ryuji amazed.

"I'm a second generation prankster with access to the internet, a large bank account and a pair of older brothers all too happy to act as my supplier for the really good shit. It helps that I gave him and his twin the money to start a joke shop like they wanted and they made me part-owner."

Fred might be paralyzed and no longer able to walk, but at least he was alive which was all George cared about.

Takamaki had a wicked look on her face. The fact Haruhi had a large bank account didn't bother her...perhaps the other teen had a large trust fund or something.

"Besides, it helps that I can bribe Morgana into carrying out the easier pranks that no one would suspect a cat of," said Haruhi.

Morgana smirked at that as well...the fatty tuna Haruhi had given him was absolutely _delicious_ and apparently Haruhi had no issue spoiling the cat rotten.

She was really good with the ear scratches.

There was one thing that bothered Morgana though, and he brought it up on the walk to Sakura-san's house.

"Do they know you're a girl?"

"No. And neither of us are going to tell them and that will be the joke. When they finally do figure it out we're going to have fun documenting the reactions and laughing about it later," said Haruhi flatly.

Morgana thought that over, before he snickered.

"That sounds like fun. I can see Ryuji freaking out over the fact he missed it."

Haruhi snickered.

"Besides, with that asshole Kamoshida around it's a good thing I made everyone believe I'm a boy. Can you imagine the sort of crap he'd try to pull with my record and this ridiculous probation?"

Haruhi had special charms on her bras that allowed her to hide her modest bust, and she wore loose shirts. So long as the chest appeared flat, no one would be able to tell the difference unless they tried to look in her pants.

Originally she had made a mistake ordering her uniform, but found that she liked the freedom of being away from the sniping of the girls. Girls were more likely to try and _date_ her, and not annoy her with their gossip if they thought she was a hot guy.

"So what are you teaching Futaba-chan anyway?"

"Magic. She's a witch, but due to certain circumstances she's become a bit of a shut-in. I agreed to act as her personal tutor so she can pass her classes in exchange for room and board at Sojiro's shop. We're hopeful that continued interaction with me will help Futaba-chan slowly overcome enough of the trauma to leave the house, since she's actually learning _more_ from her online classes than she would have at a school. Most people wouldn't exactly be kind to someone as unique as her and there will be those who would be happy to take advantage of her computer skills," said Haruhi simply.

After the third lesson, Futaba had been coaxed out of her room at least. Sojiro was confident that it wouldn't be long before Futaba started calling Haruhi "big sister", since Haruhi did resemble Futaba's mother a lot.

Haruhi was calm, mature and patient. She accepted all of Futaba's quirks and was rather maternal to the younger girl, which helped to bring Futaba out of her shell once she got used to Haruhi coming into the house specifically to meet her.

The main reason Futaba did come out was because she mentioned something about the 'voice' of her mother being quiet around the older girl. Sojiro did not want to know what Futaba meant about that...all he knew was that it was majorly stressing his daughter out and it worried him.

"Nee-san!" said Futaba from the living room.

"Imouto," said Haruhi, gently ruffling her hair. Futaba squawked, but she was still smiling.

"Have you completed the task I gave you last week?" Futaba nodded enthusiastically.

"I made a list of 'fake' spells and then looked up their equivalent. There were a lot of so-called fake spells from role playing games that were actually real," said Futaba eagerly. That had been a fun assignment.

"I know, right? I wish I knew about that after I started Hogwarts, it would have made things more fun," said Haruhi with a laugh. "By the way I brought a little...friend...with me. This is Morgana."

Morgana meowed, or at least it seemed that way to Futaba.

"He's so cute! Wasn't Morgana the name of Merlin's rival?"

"Morgana Le Fay," said Haruhi with approval. "Ironic, considering I'm British. Now, about the spell list you found..."

Futaba pulled out her wand and began trying out the smaller spells on the orb Haruhi bought that would light up if the spell was cast correctly. The bigger (and often more destructive spells) would be tested out in Haruhi's trunk since it lessened the risk of damaging the house.

Haruhi was rather proud that she had converted Futaba to the _Quibbler_. She was sure Luna would happily adopt the girl as a little sister to spoil.

* * *

"So what are we going to call ourselves? I mean all Phantom Thieves require code names!" said Morgana.

Ironically it was their leader's codename that gave them the most trouble.

"Just call me Loki."

"Loki?" said Panther confused.

"Scandinavian trickster god. Also known as the god of fire in Norse mythology. He once tricked his brother into wearing a wedding dress to get his weapon back," said Haruhi. "He's known for being able to shapeshift and cause pranks, among other things."

"Nice!" said Skull with appreciation.

"He also gave birth to a eight legged horse once."

_That_ got them to stop.

"Seriously?" said Panther.

"He got pregnant by a male horse, carried it and gave birth to it. It's name was Sleipnir and there were others but he didn't give birth to them," said Haruhi with far too much amusement at their expressions. "His wife, who was an ice giant, gave birth to a giant snake that encircles the earth, a massive wolf who's jaws reach from heaven to earth, and a daughter who was half-corpse and rules the lands of the dead."

"And you want to use that as your name?" asked Morgana.

"Well, trickster god, shapeshifter...it suits me pretty well," shrugged Haruhi. "Besides, no one local would be able to recognize me which is pretty much the entire purpose of a code name. Japan has it's own belief system and Loki is more European-based than Asian."

"He has a point," said Skull.

"So...Loki?" asked Panther.

"Loki it is," said Morgana in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

Haruhi felt slightly smug upon finding out she could _combine_ her persona into new ones, even if she refused to do that to Nightmare. It made her codename rather perfect, considering Loki was a shapeshifter.

"You know I almost wish he didn't confess..."

"Why?" asked Ryuji oddly.

"Because then I could keep tormenting him," admitted Haruhi. "Oh well...at least I still have that prick who filed that false assault charge on me."

"Remind me never to piss you off to that extent."

"Trust me, I have a long fuse. It would take something pretty bad to piss me off to that extent. Minor things don't bother me, but betrayal and the crap Kamoshida and the principal are pulling? That gets on my short fuse list pretty damn quick," said Haruhi.

"So...what do we do with the treasure?"

"Sell it. No way am I keeping that thing. If anyone asks my uncle died and I'm getting rid of it because he was an ass," said Haruhi without hesitation.

It took them less than five minutes, and Haruhi was mildly surprised that she didn't have to use her trust fund to pay for the celebratory lunch.

Morgana made a point to talk to Ryuji and Takamaki.

"Make sure that Haruhi's plate stays full," said Morgana.

"Why?"

"I happened to overhear the doctor say that Haruhi is at least twenty pounds _underweight_ for someone their age. Haruhi will eat anything on their plate, but I've never seen them refill it themselves," said Morgana.

Neither teen noticed the fact Morgana used gender-neutral pronouns when referring to Haruhi.

"So keep his plate filled, right? Didn't Haruhi say something about trying to recreate some of the food we're going to eat?" said Ryuji.

"Yeah, after offering to buy lunch."

"I say we keep the plate filled with stuff we like here so he can try and make it later," said Ryuji.

Takamaki blinked, before nodding with a grin. That sounded like a fun plan.

If Haruhi noticed they kept sharing the foods they liked with her, she said nothing. She was too busy enjoying it herself. In order to not arouse suspicion (and to keep her minor prank going on a bit longer) she made sure to go to the bathroom by herself.

It was on her way back that she ran into a familiar face.

It was that jackass who gave her that false assault charge on her record. She knew it was him from the magic on him.

The way he sneered at her only annoyed her.

Well, she had been looking for a new long-term target to vent on. Futaba was good with computers, and this might give her a fun project to play around with.

Actually...she had the perfect way to piss him off for the rest of the day if she got lucky.

When she came back she found Takamaki being harassed by a well figured woman who had bumped into her friend.

Well, she knew how to solve that.

_A few minutes later..._

Takamaki was in awe of Haruhi. He not only diffused the situation and shut up the complete hag who bumped into her, but she made the other adults far more wary of him in the process.

"That was seriously wicked," said Ryuji in appreciation.

Haruhi looked very much like she wanted to cackle when that jackass brushed past them with his friends and stole their elevator.

"Talk about a jerk," said Ryuji.

Haruhi muttered what sounded like unflattering things under her breath...it was too low for him to catch. She hid a dark, almost _evil_ smirk when she felt the Black magic take effect.

"Just forget about him. We can catch a different elevator anyway," said Haruhi. She easily directed her new friends to the one next to it.

"What the hell was that?!" said Ryuji horrified, staring in the direction of the elevator they just missed.

"Sounds like a minor malfunction," said Haruhi easily.

More like a minor bit of Black magic at work. If there was one thing the Blacks were experts at payback...and electronics were so finicky around magic. That jackass was going to be stuck in the elevator for the rest of the day and deal with the fear of the thing failing completely and possibly falling to his death.

Make him feel mortal for once.

* * *

Haruhi patiently waited for the check-in with Futaba's handler. Considering the nature of their arrangement, Futaba was required to do regular exams to prove Haruhi was actually teaching her magic like they agreed.

Futaba hugged Haruhi tightly when she came in.

"I passed, flying colors!" said Futaba.

"That's great!" said Haruhi.

"The proctors said I scored the highest out of any self-study they've ever seen. I told them I had a really great tutor," said Futaba.

"Well I'm glad you did so well," said Haruhi. "Of course that means you can't slack off, but I had a fun idea for a project you could play around with regarding your computer skills."

"Fun project?" said Futaba.

Haruhi outlined what she had in mind. Rather than be worried about the legalities, Futaba was more interested in the subtle harassment Haruhi was planning on her unfortunate victim.

"You can count on me Onee-chan!" said Futaba grinning wickedly. She knew Haruhi would never drag her into anything too dangerous, and the most that Haruhi's prank would cause was a major inconvenience.

Haruhi's plan was surprisingly simple and it would be nearly impossible for anyone to detect it unless they knew what to look for.

She wanted Futaba to hack into the phones of people surrounding the man who put the false assault charge on her name. Sure, it was an assumed identity for her protection and to avoid anyone tracking her down with her real name, but it pissed her off that an adult thought he could get away with it because of his political connections and money.

Which was why she was going to be a pain in the ass using round-about methods that would be impossible to trace back to her.

The politician had lackeys and most muggles carried smart phones these days. It was literally child's play for Futaba to set a virus to their phones that made it so certain things would have a habit of regularly failing them and making them late to important meetings.

Things like traffic lights and signals for instance. Best of all, it wouldn't be on the jackass' phone, so he was unlikely to ever figure out what was going on.

Whenever he and his lackeys were driving to the same location and were within range of a traffic light or other signal, the light would be triggered in short order to insure they would have to wait at least twenty minutes before it would change. Annoying, but nothing that would cause them death or injury. It would also cause elevators to malfunction for five minutes, much like the Black curse she had inflicted on him at that restaurant a few days ago. He had spent twelve _long_ hours for maintenance and the fire department to get him and his cronies out of that elevator, because it kept dropping just enough to make it impossible to get them through the main doors and the firemen wouldn't risk their men to try the emergency hatch because every time they did it dropped further. And trying to get them through the doors caused the elevator to drop an extra floor in such a way that they wouldn't be able to escape.

It was only when they finally dropped to the _ground_ level that they were able to get out.

Best of all there was no evidence of an elevator malfunction or a computer error. They were stuck in a terrifying ride that left quite the impression on the bald jackass.

Haruhi had a rather terrifying smile on her face thinking about it. From what she heard, the man opted for the staircase after the incident.

"Still, are you sure you want to mess with the elevator codes too?" asked Futaba.

"Making it drop a floor without any warning when they go past a certain number isn't going to kill them. Just give them a good scare after I trapped them in another elevator for being so rude," said Haruhi. "Besides, how many people would be working on floors that have the number four in Japan considering how superstitious people are about a number?"

It had taken her two weeks to find out why no one used the number four in certain places in Japan. She honestly had no idea that the word 'four' in Japanese could sometimes be mistaken for the word 'death'.

"Still, I don't feel good about the elevator virus."

"I just want you to tie that to the jackass' phone. Eventually he'll figure it out anyway, so he might not catch on to the stop light hack."

"Oh, so you want a short-term one. That I can do!" chirped Futaba.

Haruhi wanted to cackle wickedly at the headaches they were about to cause. That jackass already had a rather nasty karma curse attached to him that would cause all sorts of minor inconveniences befall him on a regular basis depending on his actions.

From the way he was looking at the restaurant, she would have to say his life had become very miserable indeed. She had to wonder what else he had done, or was doing now, for the magic to feel_ that_ active on him. It should have worn off by now.

* * *

Haruhi's deeply unimpressed expression must have made it obvious how little she cared about the customer's popularity.

"Not a fan of me, I take it?"

"You do realize that once you aren't a teenager anymore that odds are the media will lose interest in you, right? I mean it's not like you're an actual cop," she said blithely. Her tone made it clear she could care less he was in the media often.

"That's a rather odd view of things," said the older woman.

"The media only cares about selling sensationalism. They don't really give a damn about personal tragedies or privacy so long as they can make money off selling the story," said Haruhi bluntly. "They would happily ruin someone's reputation for their own advancement, regardless of whether the story they were telling had any actual facts or not."

"Sadly, I have to agree with that particular train of thought," agreed the woman. Sae, if detective pretty boy was right. "All too often things can get out of hand because the media decides to put their own spin on things."

"Which is why the only publication I will ever read that occasionally does relevant news articles happens to focus mostly on cryptids," said Haruhi.

"Cryptids?" repeated Akechi.

"Animals not well known to science that often border on potentially mythology in origin. Like ki-lin or dragons," said Haruhi.

"What sort of publication?" asked Sae. Mostly out of polite interest.

"_The Quibbler_. It's a primarily British magazine but I know for a fact Luna's cousins have been branching out to international markets. Only a select few are able to get a subscription though," said Haruhi. And by 'select few' she meant those with magic. It was specially charmed to look like something far more mundane when in the presence of those without it.

"Sounds interesting," said Akechi. Haruhi could tell from his expression he could care less.

Then Akechi noticed the chess set nearby. Haruhi was vindictively pleased that she was able to trounce him at the game every time. Ron was a harder opponent than detective pretty boy.

* * *

"You really called him 'detective pretty boy'?" asked Ryuji amused.

"Let's face it, the only reason the media likes him is because he's young and good looking, and happens to provide a reason to be at otherwise boring crime scenes," said Haruhi flatly. "I bet you anything the _real_ detectives on the police force hate him for the most part because he's a civilian who's drawing attention from real police work and is far too young to be a real cop. And if he did join up, then he'd likely get an ego about being famous when he was younger."

She had seen the same mentality in the older Aurors. Yes, they were grateful she killed that brat Riddle off for them but she could sense the resentment at the amount of ass-kissing the higher ups were doing around her and the implied fact she would become an auror.

No real cop would appreciate a younger, less trained rookie getting the promotions they worked themselves to the bone for over the course of many years simply because they were well connected or popular. It made them feel unappreciated and that the newcomer was 'uppity', to say the least.

Hence why Haruhi had been quick to beg off the idea of joining the Auror academy straight out of Hogwarts. Not only did she still need to pass her exams, but she was quick to claim that she wanted the 'dust' to settle first before she started the process. Give everyone a chance to settle into a new normal with the war over at last and to give them time to grieve without her presence drawing unwanted attention to what they were doing.

"Did you really call him that to his face though?" asked Takamaki amused.

"Hell yes," said Haruhi without a second's hesitation. "Don't get me wrong, I respect the police but I can't_ stand_ the media or their need to cause a feeding frenzy just so they can get a story that will make some quick cash. Do you know how many personal tragedies they've exploited and lives they've ruined to further their own careers?"

"Don't bring up the media around you, got it," said Ryuji, half-joking. He honestly had no idea how _vehement_ Haruhi could get about the subject.

"On an unrelated subject, does anyone else get the feeling we're being stalked?" asked Morgana.

"You noticed him too? He hasn't been triggering any of the usual warnings I get for anything too dangerous, so I've been ignoring him."

"Wait...him?" said Ryuji, staring at her. "You mean you know who's stalking you and you're letting them?"

"I have a sixth sense for dangerous situations that might kill me. Whoever is following me has relatively benign intentions and is therefor harmless," said Haruhi dismissively.

Never mind the fact she was a witch and therefor far more dangerous than someone who appeared to be a complete civilian.

There was no proper way to describe the look of shock, disbelief and outright confusion on her face when the perfectly random stranger walked up to her and asked her to model for him. Most annoying of all, Ryuji was quick enough to catch her expression on _camera_.

'I hate Potter luck.'


	4. Chapter 4

Yusuke couldn't help the fascination he had for the young woman before him. Originally his attention was on her blond friend, except the green-eyed girl swiftly grabbed his interest and held it.

It was the eyes really, and he wasn't talking about the shade. There was something haunting, yet magnetic. Passionate, yet calm. Mature, with an emotional depth to him that he had never really come across before.

The fact she was dressed in male clothing didn't interest him. His artist's eye took in her full figure and registered that this was a young woman...mostly because her aura read as "female" to him.

Madarame-sensei was a muggle, and didn't really know or care about the magical night classes he took. It wasn't like he cared about them once he passed the required exams. He had seen magical paintings and he had been deeply unimpressed by them.

"Will you be my model?" he asked enthusiastically.

It took several moments for that to sink in, and the blond thought he meant her for a few moments until they realized he was looking at the green-eyed girl.

"Wait...you mean me?" she asked, rather bewildered.

"Of course! I knew the moment I saw you that you would make the perfect model!" said Yusuke.

"Why?" she asked, baffled. There was such honest confusion that he couldn't help but explain.

The bewildered expression turned into mild amusement.

"So just to be clear, you want me...not Takamaki-san...to model for you," she said.

The fact she didn't reject the tickets he offered brought him some hope. He had been in such a slump that the moment he saw her he instinctively _knew_ she would provide countless inspiration for his paintings.

_With Haruhi..._

"You aren't seriously going to model for that guy, are you?" said Ryuji.

"I don't see why not. He was rather honest about his intentions and I don't sense anything dangerous about him. The older man he was with, maybe, but not him," said Haruhi.

Besides, it would give her a chance to get a professional's opinion on her idle sketches. She wasn't an artist like him, but it never hurt to get a second opinion from someone who had actual training and knowledge on the subject.

"He literally just walked up to you and asked you to model for him," said Takamaki.

"And I'll have Morgana with me the entire time," countered Haruhi. "Trust me, I would know if he had any shady intentions. Though if you're really dubious about his intentions, you can come with me when I go."

That seemed to settle Ryuji down.

"So are you going to the art exhibit he mentioned?" asked Takamaki.

"I don't see why not," said Haruhi. "I've only ever been to the Louvre, so it would be interesting to see traditional Japanese artwork."

That got them to twitch, just a little.

"You've been to the Louvre? As in the famous art museum in France?" said Takamaki.

"A friend got me special tickets, and we made a day out of it. Hell her cousins tried to get me to be a model when I visited Italy," said Haruhi. "I refuse to wear anything _that_ skimpy on principle."

"Exactly how well connected are you?" asked Takamaki, sweatdropping.

"...No comment," said Haruhi. "On an unrelated note if you want to seriously get into the modeling business, I have an older sister figure with several family members in the business who would likely be more than happy to set you up as a favor to me."

"I'll keep that in mind. What their name?"

"Well she married into the Weasley family, but her maiden name is Delacour."

"Delacour, as in Delacour Designs? One of the top rated fashion groups that is mostly run by insanely gorgeous women who are extremely exclusive about their models? _That_ Delacour?" said Takamaki, slack-jawed.

"Fleur married one of my cousins, and her sister Gabrielle adores me. She was the one who got the VIP tickets to the Louvre and her cousins jokingly insisted that I model for them," shrugged Haruhi. "I have a standing invitation to crash at their villas in France and Italy."

"Lucky!" said Ryuji.

Haruhi was rather happy that they took her connections in stride, as she didn't sense any real jealousy, envy or greed from them. Just amazement and polite interest.

It was such a nice change of pace that she relaxed slightly.

* * *

Haruhi couldn't explain it, but wandering around the exhibit with Yusuke made her frown a bit.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, openly concerned.

"It might be my imagination...but I have the distinct feeling these weren't all done by the same person as your teacher claims," said Haruhi. "I can't really put my finger on it, but the feel of these paintings seem to vary too much for it to be from the same artist."

Yusuke paused and genuinely looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

She found it very telling that he didn't deny her comment, more like he was genuinely interested in her opinion. Unlike the other patrons of the exhibit, who took everything at face value, Haruhi sensed a deeper 'intent' behind the paintings themselves.

"I guess the best example that comes to mind when I look at these is van Gogh," she admitted. "Not the style or the form, but the feeling to them. It's hard to properly put into words and context, but these paintings feel like someone poured their rage and anger towards something into the best medium they could find. This painting in particular had a slightly depressed feel, as if the one who created it was in a situation they felt trapped and unhappy about, but couldn't find a solution to escape."

Yusuke was completely silent, but the expression in his eyes said volumes. Apparently she had hit the mark very close to home with her comment. There was an odd sort of respect in his gaze when he looked at her.

Unnoticed by the two, Morgana observed their interaction with interest. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear there was a spark between them that could lead to something interesting happening later.

"You have a very keen eye for art," said Yusuke. Clearly he didn't want to talk about why the paintings felt off in public.

"My cousin's wife heard about my late-night habits when I can't sleep and arranged a VIP experience at the Louvre. I found the thought and depth of the pieces to be very moving," she admitted. "I even have a few replicas hanging in my room to liven up the place, though I switch them out regularly."

Haruhi kept silence at the anger and irritation she sensed coming from him regarding a certain painting. She had the sneaking suspicion _he_ had painted it and Madarame was merely profiting off his hard work.

"Now, about that offer to model...is there a specific place you have in mind for it?" asked Haruhi.

Yusuke was grateful for the change in subject.

They agreed to meet up tomorrow at his residence.

_With the others..._

"Well?"

"He gave me the address to meet him. I'm pretty sure he's serious about the modeling thing though."

"He was really impressed with your comments about the art," said Morgana. "I think he likes you."

Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure he was more interested in a new subject for his paintings than he was in dating," she deadpanned. "Besides, I wouldn't know what to do on one to begin with."

"Seriously?" said Takamaki.

"I was either too busy or too socially awkward to go on dates in England. And after...well, there's no greater hell than dealing with fans who are more interested in claiming they got to sleep with you or are just trying to get access to your family name," said Haruhi bitterly. "It makes dating _impossible_, because you're always worried if they genuinely care for you or are just trying to use you for their own benefits."

Hence why she left England as fast as possible and was hiding under a new name to avoid all that.

"Would you go out with him? If he was interested I mean?" asked Takamaki.

"Right now I would rather get to the bottom of this post I found that might be linked to Madarame. Didn't that stalker mention him when we first went to Mementos?" asked Haruhi, changing the subject.

"This could be risky...Madarame is in the limelight," said Morgana after they read the post.

"Considering that from what we've seen they don't really register 'us' as people from the real world, I'd say the risk is minimal. Besides, I'm rather curious as to the extent Mementos goes anyway. I mean is it only limited to targets within our immediate vicinity, or is a global Palace?" asked Haruhi.

That made Morgana pause.

"That...is actually a good question. I mean most of what we'll be dealing with is technically local, so I have no idea if it _could_ reach across countries. I mean theoretically it would be possible, but I have no idea how that would even _work_. You would need a decent level of perception regarding the Phantoms to even _access_ it," said Morgana stumped.

If perception was required, Haruhi had a way of dealing with that. If she was right, then she might be able to alter a few things back in England without any of it being tied to the "Woman who Conquered" or any of that nonsense. It wasn't like Morgana followed her on her early morning runs, preferring to sleep in.

Besides, the idea of a universal palace that required a certain level of perception to their group as a whole bothered her. She would rather there be a contingency in place in case the one who was behind the mystery incidents somehow caught wind of their existence.

There was no telling what would happen if the perception suddenly shifted against them...like if their powers would disappear or something equally horrifying.

Some might call it paranoia...she preferred to call it a natural side effect of living through the sheer hell she had gone through during the war and her own childhood in general.

It wasn't paranoia if there were legitimate threats out to kill you if possible, after all.

* * *

"Man, he really _does_ live in a shack doesn't he?" said Ryuji in horrified amazement.

"I've seen worse," said Haruhi. "And yet it was still a home filled with love."

"How have you seen worse?"

"Remember the twins I told you about? They grew up in a place that looked like it was about to fall over at any second, yet it housed seven children of slightly varying ages and two adults."

"...Seven kids?" said Ryuji faintly. "Their poor mother...unless a few were adopted."

"She had six sons and their youngest was the only girl in generations. And if anything you should feel sorry for the kids...their mother tended to smother them and had lungs that could out bellow a bomb going off right next to you," deadpanned Haruhi.

She might adore Mrs. Weasley, but the smothering was something she could do without. Molly was only tolerable in _small_ doses and made no bones who ruled that house. She also had very set opinions and tended to react badly if anyone dared to go counter to them.

Case in point, the fact she destroyed a lot of the twin's hard work in order to create a functional business along with the order forms. Or the fact she tried to keep them out of the war when the lack of information backfired on them so spectacularly that she ended up losing Sirius for it.

She certainly didn't appreciate the way Haruhi had bluntly ripped her preference that the twins work at the Ministry to shreds with cold hard logic.

They wouldn't last a week, and with the amount of Death Eaters that had infiltrated the place it would have been ridiculously easy for them to use the twin's boredom-inspired antics against their father. Hell, Malfoy would have jumped at the chance to use their behavior against him!

(She always found the fact Arthur didn't deny her snarky comments about what would have happened if the twins ever went into the Ministry rather than open their own business rather telling about the matter. Molly was irritable for days and made everyone know it in spades.)

She pressed the doorbell.

_"Who is it?"_

"Haruhi. This was the address you sent me for the modeling thing, right?"

"_I'll be right down!"_

He didn't seem too happy seeing the others, but accepted the comment that they had come for support since she didn't know the neighborhood too well as an excuse. That and she still had trouble with the GPS app at times.

Haruhi wanted to smack Ryuji on the head when he kept trying to pry the abuse out of Yusuke.

She knew all too well that those who had suffered abuse, especially for a long time, generally clammed up in the presence of strangers. She had suffered through abuse her entire childhood and she still had trouble speaking up about it. And Yusuke had mentioned he had been _raised_ by Madarame, so if there WAS abuse going on he wasn't going to talk about it unless someone opened his eyes to the truth he was blinding himself to.

Ryuji was less than happy at the way Haruhi kept shutting him up with a Look.

"Why didn't you ask him anything?" he demanded.

"Because he's been raised by Madarame for most of his life. If there is abuse, he's not going to say anything to strangers. He's likely trying to turn a blind eye to what's really going on himself, and is too ashamed to try and leave since he feels he owes his teacher. Remember how the students acted with Kamoshida? Even when we tried to confront them with the evidence something wasn't right, they refused to talk," said Haruhi bluntly. "Long term abuse isn't something a victim is going to speak up about unless they are confronted with the truth even they can't deny regardless of how much they want to."

Morgana gave her an odd look.

"Why do I have the distinct feeling you're talking from personal experience?"

"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I don't like talking about it and I don't want to deal with any possible pity," said Haruhi. "In any case, why don't we see if Madarame has a palace before we give this up as a bad job?"

As it turned out, Haruhi's plan turned out to be the only reason they found out the rumors were true...


	5. Chapter 5

Yusuke felt rather amused when Haruhi admitted the main reason she had left her friends behind this time was because she didn't want them to know she was a girl.

"For some reason they're operating under the belief I'm a boy, and I find it too amusing to keep quiet," said Haruhi.

"Why?"

"Mostly so I can imagine their reactions when they find out the truth," she admitted.

"You're not going to try and bring up the rumors again, are you?" he asked.

"I'm not going to bother. Even if they _are_ true, you're not going to say anything to a complete stranger like me," said Haruhi, shaking her head. "I know from personal experience that abuse victims won't speak up until they've had undeniable truth that they can't rationalize away. Though I have to ask, if the part about him taking credit for the paintings is true then why haven't you said anything?"

"He's my sponsor. Part of the agreement is that I allow him to take credit for my work in exchange for payment for my painting supplies," replied Yusuke tiredly.

"Is that all?" said Haruhi, blinking. "What if you got another sponsor more than willing to pay for your supplies as well as living expenses, in exchange for first pick of your future pieces?"

"Considering I'm nowhere near as well known as Madarame-sensei, the odds that happening are too low."

"Even if the person you're asking to model for you happens to have connections with people who were able to get a VIP tour of the Louvre?" said Haruhi smiling.

_That_ got Yusuke to look up from what he was doing to actually look at her.

"What?"

"I have connections with a lot of well connected people, and an inheritance that is large enough that I can paint with high quality supplies as a hobby. Being able to sponsor someone who's work I feel could go places would be easy for me," she replied.

Yusuke was clearly dubious about the idea, mostly because of the odds of finding someone able to pay for the sheer amount of supplies he could go through in making new paintings was so low that it wasn't worth dreaming about.

It was at that point Morgana returned, and 'accidentally' knocked over the sketch book Haruhi drew in to help her sleep at night.

Yusuke blinked and picked it up. The drawings themselves were slightly amateur level, but there was a lot of potential in them and it was clear the artist had some talent...just no training.

Haruhi blushed a bit.

"Did you make these?"

"I have chronic insomnia. Drawing helps vent the nightmares keeping me awake long enough to get a little more sleep."

"They aren't bad. A bit sloppy, but for someone without any training or lessons they're rather good," said Yusuke, looking over them with a critical eye. "There are several mistakes, however the overall level is definitely not something the average person could do."

"I also do paintings, but I haven't been able to get any decent paints because I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't want to waste money on supplies that won't work out," said Haruhi. "What if tomorrow we hit your preferred art store and you can help me pick out the best ones. That way I can prove to you that I have the ability to act as your full sponsor?"

Yusuke thought the proposition over. Quality art supplies were _not_ cheap, and if she could easily afford them then there was a chance she was being honest about being able to act as his sponsor. Besides, there was something about Haruhi that drew him in, and he wouldn't mind getting to know her better with art.

It didn't take much for him to agree...besides, he was starting to run low anyway.

_The next afternoon_

Yusuke's opinion of her offer changed completely after she easily paid for some very expensive supplies without a second thought, and actually _listened_ to his opinion on certain paints. The supplies he preferred were _not_ cheap at all and he was a bit leery of requesting new ones from Madarame-sensei considering the home he lived in was a bit run-down. Even with a few magical tweaks, it wasn't a place he felt comfortable inviting others to.

Having a sponsor other than his teacher might be the push he needed to move into his own apartment and hopefully break away from his teacher.

He found himself relaxing around Haruhi and their honest discussion about paintings. She was incredibly observant and had a proper appreciation for the subject.

* * *

_A few hours later..._

Morgana had a strange grin when they went to check the palace out.

"I think Haruhi and that artist kid have a thing for each other!" he chirped.

"...Do I need to start shoving you into the bag?" said Haruhi.

"You were pretty comfortable with him when you were talking about art and paints," said Morgana.

"Well I wanted his honest opinion. Besides, he relaxed a lot enough to admit that the whole plagiarism thing only started recently and the abuse rumors are mostly verbal and emotional, never physical."

"So you did get something out of him about it," said Takamaki.

"If you come at him directly about it, he's going to deny everything because he doesn't want to admit it's going on. However using the indirect method means he's more likely to let a few things slip if you know what to look for."

"So...you and artist boy?" said Ryuji.

"Is there a problem?"

"Nah man, it's cool if you like guys. I had a few friends who liked the same gender on the track team, before that mess with that asshole Kamoshida started," said Ryuji.

Takamaki nodded in agreement.

"I have a few gay friends too, so I have no problem with it either."

"Actually I'm bi, but I'm glad to hear that," said Haruhi with a straight face.

She never had a real relationship before, since her school years were an absolute mess and she was too paranoid to attempt it after. But perhaps she could give Yusuke a chance? After all, he wouldn't know her as the "Woman-Who-Conquered" first, just Haruhi.

But first, they needed to get this job over with.

* * *

Words could not describe the slight relief Haruhi felt when Yusuke became the newest member of their group. Or the irony she felt when she saw his mask.

Seriously, what were the odds the guy she was potentially interested in having a _fox_-based mask, especially considering her animagus form?

Yusuke sidled up to her after with an odd look on his face.

"Why do I get the impression that Panther and Skull believe I'm gay?" he asked.

"Again, they haven't clued into the fact I'm a girl just yet and I openly admitted I was bi," said Haruhi dryly. "Just keep quiet until they figure it out so you can silently amuse yourself with the truth."

"...Were you serious about acting as my sponsor?" he asked.

"Absolutely. Like I told you before, I have an inheritance I have no idea what to do with. Acting as your sponsor gives me something to do on the side and means I get first crack at your paintings for later. Magical artwork in Europe is just boring."

Yusuke snorted at that.

"I would have to agree. Magical paintings are less about the painting and more about the moving enchantments. I heard most people just have their form and specific scenery 'painted' onto a canvas with the appropriate charm work without actually using a brush or actual paint. It's a travesty."

"I know! But really whiny ones burn so well and shut them up rather effectively when they get on your nerves. Especially if you make an example of one you never liked anyway."

Yusuke looked at her oddly.

"I had a cousin who left behind a really, really annoying portrait, so I found a way to take down the canvas since the frame was permanently stuck to the wall to find out how magical portraits work. The others certainly got the hint after I set that bitch on fire in front of them and made it clear I had no issues doing the same to theirs."

Honestly, Walburga only had the frame charmed and didn't try to charm the canvas itself. Using a sharp knife to rid herself of that harpy on the wall was the best move she made in the house, and it made it easy to put a fitted mirror in her place.

"So...how goes the painting with me as your model?"

"It's no good. For some reason I'm suffering a major slump," said Yusuke. "Perhaps if we were to try a nude..."

Haruhi winced.

"Maybe after the case. Perhaps what's causing your slump isn't an actual artist's block, but your heart trying to warn you something is wrong and that maybe it's time for a major change," said Haruhi. "One of the reasons I offered to sponsor you was because I had the feeling it was more than just duty keeping you bound to your teacher."

"You would be right. Without sensei I would have no place to go. Never mind my career as an artist, food and lodging are not easy to come by. Even if I did get a scholarship at the school I attend," said Yusuke.

"...I have a multi-roomed trunk, with an area I've already sectioned off for my painting among other things. It's peaceful, there's plenty of room and I know Boss wouldn't let you starve. If he does kick you out, you can always crash there since I rarely use it as a home. Or if that doesn't work, I have a magical tent that I don't use much. It has a full kitchen, bath and at least four rooms."

"I... thank you. I will keep that in mind," he said gratefully.

At least that confirmed she had the money to properly sponsor him...only those with good connections and a hefty bank account could afford a proper magical tent like the one she was describing, much less the trunk. That plus the way she paid for the art supplies without hesitation or flinching at the price tag spoke of how deep her pockets were.

"By the way, I have a pretty good idea what Sayuri was looking at in the painting...or at least the reason for her expression."

"Wait, what?" said Ryuji.

Yusuke was looking at her in shock.

"What was she looking at?" asked Takamaki.

"I've seen that expression before, or something almost identical. I bet you anything that under that fog is a child, possibly an infant," said Haruhi with absolute certainty.

"What makes you say that?" asked Yusuke. Even he could not explain the reason for the mysterious expression the painting had.

Haruhi looked a tad sheepish.

"I had a similar expression when I held my godson for the first time. I know for a fact Luna caught it on film, and it's in one of the photo albums in my room. Her expression reminds me strongly of a mother looking at her child with love and affection," said Haruhi. "That plus the way her head is bent down slightly looking at something in her arms made me a little suspicious."

"You have a godson?" said Takamaki.

"Teddy. He'll be about two years old soon and his mum was one of my cousins...while his father happened to be one of my uncles. The man looked like an underpaid English professor, and he had this bad habit of going into monthly panic attacks, but he was a good man. Last I saw Teddy, he was with his grandmother who graciously agreed to watch him while I got over a few things and settled into a new normal."

Andromeda agreed to take Teddy in, with the understanding that once Haruhi was able to settle down and evaluate her life enough that she could recover from the war, that she would fully adopt Teddy. A year or two was nothing in the grand scheme of things and anyone with brains knew that raising a child was stressful enough without adding PTSD on top of things.

"Okay, now I have to see pictures of you with a kid," said Ryuji.

"I can dig the photos up, but right now we have bigger issues...like getting through this Palace and figuring out the best way to provoke Madarame into revealing the treasure."

"I say we let Fox handle that. It can't possibly be any worse than what Skull wrote up," said Takamaki.

"We can always do a round robin of who writes it," said Haruhi. "Though I will admit, the original was a bit childish."

"Hey! Who's side are you on?" said Ryuji.

"How about this. We all make up a card and the best one gets sent out," said Haruhi.

"I like that!" said Takamaki. "That way no one gets stuck writing the cards."

* * *

_The next afternoon..._

"Remind me again why we went with Fox's card and not yours?" asked Takamaki. "Because seriously, I had no idea you wrote poetry!"

Haruhi looked a tad sheepish.

"I may have indulged in poetry a bit back in England... mostly because I was on a Shakespeare kick and I wanted to try and see if I had an knack for writing plays like he could since there was zero fantasy in my old school. I only got into art because I tried drawing cover photos and one of my friends introduced me to water-color paints," said Haruhi. "As a side effect after I left England I kept up the painting since it relaxed me, but I never fully stopped reading poetry."

"Who's Shakespeare?" asked Ryuji.

"One of the most famous writers in history," said Haruhi.

"How famous?"

"As in 'you-will-likely-study-his-work-during-class' famous, especially in college-level classes. Look up _Macbeth_, or _Hamlet,_" said Haruhi.

"I prefer _A Midsummer Night's Dream_, if only for the potential paintings to be made from it. _Macbeth_ was good, but the whole power-corrupts didn't really appeal," said Yusuke. Seeing the looks he got, he shrugged. "Haruhi was not joking in that Shakespeare is a regular addition to most English and literally classes."

"...Do you know where I can get a translated copy?" asked Ryuji.

"I still have a few of my old books," said Yusuke.


	6. Chapter 6

Futaba looked at her big sister figure, who was in a better mood than normal.

"So...who's your new boyfriend, nee-san?"

Haruhi sputtered a bit.

"He's not my boyfriend. I have no idea if he's even interested in girls anyway," said Haruhi.

He had spent only one night in her room before moving into the dorms to better relate to others. However he still came to help her with her painting. She found it helped a lot, as it was less 'random splotches' and was starting to properly look like the drawings she made on paper.

Futaba gave her big sister a Look. Much like Luna, Futaba had discovered it was easy talking to Haruhi because she didn't judge and just accepted their little quirks and just _listened_.

"Let's change the subject. Do you think you can help me make a Phan-site for the English muggleborns to use?"

"Doing a translation matrix on a site like this is easy...it's getting the word to spread among the first gens that actually know how to use computers that will be tricky."

"I had an idea about that," said Haruhi. "Considering how things are in England, and how no 'dark' families would dare use a computer...I was thinking of promoting it on the sly through the twins. Once people start to connect 'The Phantoms' with the 'Woman-who-Conquered', a lot more people will start using it."

"But what about the fact that Takamaki-san and Sakamoto-san aren't magical?" asked Futaba.

"Well it's going to take a while for it to get set up to the point we can actually effect anything over in England...besides, I've been wanting to test out if our normal magic will work in the Metaverse," said Haruhi.

"That's actually a good question," said Futaba. "I mean the perception thing allows you to use models as actual weapons in there, right?"

"Considering the sheer scope of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, it would be a fun way to test the theory out, especially since I have a solid background in using actual magic."

Futaba's eyes lit up.

"Does this mean I could actually pretend to be one of the characters from the magical girl shows if I went with you?"

"Likely, especially if we can get the magicals in England to use the service and build up a strong perception of what we are," said Haruhi. "I can think of several ways England could benefit from the old fossils in the Wizangamot having a change of heart and actually behaving like decent, civilized people. Or at least opening the way for the younger generation to take over since most of the work we'll be doing is from the Metaverse which they won't be able to track."

Futaba looked greatly interested in the idea. She was a huge fan of the magical girl shows after finding out she was a witch.

"Just imagine going into the Metaverse cosplaying as Nanoha or Fate!" chirped Haruhi with cheer. "Or better yet, Lina Inverse!"

Futaba snickered.

"By the way, you mentioned the animagus transformation before, right? What is that?"

Haruhi grinned.

"Want to see it?" she asked. Futaba nodded eagerly.

She couldn't help the squeal of feminine delight at the tiny ebony-furred fox with twin tails.

"Too cute!" she said, scooping up the fox and hugging it.

Haruhi let out a little yip, and once Futaba got the urge to cuddle with her fox form out, she turned back.

"The animagus transformation allows you to take the form of your inner animal. In my case, I turn into a twin-tailed kitsune. However it takes a lot of practice and patience before you can get to this point."

"Can you do partials?" asked Futaba.

Haruhi grinned, and let her ears and one of her tails out. Futaba looked like she wanted to hug Haruhi's tail to her and giggled when she felt it tickle her side.

Once Futaba had a working link to an English version of the website, Haruhi sent a letter to the twins. It would take a while for the site to properly take effect, but Haruhi had high hopes. After all, she was willing to risk linking the Phantoms to where she was currently hiding. Even the idiots in England only needed to get lucky _once_ to find her and bring unnecessary complications.

* * *

Haruhi stared at the horror before her, and had only one real thing to say in the face of that monstrosity.

"I'm out," she said flatly.

"Yeah, I'm not getting anywhere near that thing!" said Takamaki in absolute agreement, shivering in undisguised disgust.

"It's just a plant monster. Why are you two so freaked out?" asked Ryuji annoyed.

"That _thing_ has tentacle vines. No way in hell am I going anywhere near that thing, especially when it's clearly leaking sap!" said Haruhi vehemently.

She regretted the day Futaba introduced her to more adult sites as a joke. It took her a solid hour to figure out how to get off them, to her mortification. About the only solace she had was that Morgana had been sleeping off a big dinner at the time and the boss had already returned home.

Seriously, who the hell came up with that and decided to inflict it on the rest of the world?

"...I can get why Panther is having a freak out attack, but why are you so leery? I mean that shit usually only happens to girls," said Ryuji baffled.

Haruhi looked at Yusuke, who understood her dilemma...to a point.

He froze the plant-tentacle monstrosity and made sure there weren't any others, which made the girls give a sigh of relief.

"What sort of pervert comes up with a Shadow like that? And can I castrate them on general principal?" said Takamaki in disgust, which had Haruhi nodding in agreement.

"So...did any of you notice the odd link on the Phan-site earlier?" asked Ryuji, once the perverted Shadow was dealt with.

"Link?" asked Takamaki.

"Yeah, I was scrolling through the site and found a weird link that sent me to an _English_ site that had a similar theme. And it had some weird codewords on it too."

"I know what it is," said Haruhi. "I asked my tutoring student if they could make an English version of the site to see if it could be used to give us access to international targets, or if we can only target those local to this general province. After all, you did say Mementos is _everyone's _Palace, save for those who's distortions get big enough to generate their own micro-world."

"I never thought about that," said Takamaki.

"Just what I expected from our leader!" said Morgana with approval. Branching out to other countries was sure to give them a major boost in reputation.

"Why English though?" asked Ryuji.

"Because next to Chinese, English is something most people learn how to speak and read," said Haruhi without missing a beat.

Yusuke waited for them to be outside of Mementos before he asked her the real reason she made the site for English speaking countries.

"There are a few people in England who might benefit from what we can do...and it lets us test if our spells can work in the Metaverse, among other things," admitted Haruhi. "That plus we're kind of curious if wearing cosplay would have any effect."

"What sort of cosplay?" asked Yusuke. For some reason he kept trying to imagine Haruhi in cat ears and it was making the blood rush to other places.

"Mostly magical girl ones, like _Nanoha_ or _Slayers_," admitted Haruhi. "Don't get me wrong, _Sailor Moon_ is like the precursor to all decent mahou shoujo series, but the outfits are far too impractical and their skill level was far too low. Did you know they made the two obvious lesbians of the group _cousins_ when it first aired in America?"

Okay, the image of Haruhi in a Sailor Scout uniform plus cat ears was seriously messing with him.

"When you said that you had someone make the link, who was it?"

"I've been tutoring Sojiro-san's adopted daughter in magic, because her anxiety makes it difficult for her to attend normal classes. So far she's making excellent progress on that front," said Haruhi.

"Mind if I join you? It would be fascinating to see if your theory is correct."

"I was planning on bringing you with me anyway. I am a bit leery about introducing Panther and Skull to the fact magic is real," said Haruhi.

Yusuke winced.

"Good point."

* * *

_A few days later..._

"You'll never believe this!" said Ryuji excited.

"What's happening?" asked Haruhi.

"I heard a rumor that some big shot is planning to offer minor scholarships for those who suffered under Kamoshida's abuse!"

"What sort of scholarships?" asked Takamaki interested.

"I heard that some big shot with a deep bank account is offering actual scholarships...but the school has to prove they've weeded out Kamoshida's influence and replace the principal for covering up the abuse," said Ryuji excited. "It's not going to be much, about twenty thousand yen to those with genuine abuse allegations against that prick, but considering the number of people Kamoshida's hurt it's a major windfall. I also heard that those who got it the worst are going to get thirty."

Considering his chances at a track scholarship were ruined by that asshole Kamoshida, this was major news for him.

"Do you think it's real?" asked Takamaki. She knew how much this meant for Ryuji.

"After the amount of bad press the school got for covering up Kamoshida's abuse and the fact that it was leaked to the press that the principal knew what was going on and covered it up anyway, I dare say the school board is more likely to agree to the terms," said Haruhi dryly. "After all, this sort of press might bring the school's reputation back up out of the mire it's in now."

"Still... I wonder who's offering up scholarships like that?" asked Takamaki.

Haruhi kept quiet. They might figure it out eventually, but she would rather not have them tying this to her too early. Considering Ryuji was so miserable about losing the chance to help his mother out, this seemed like the best way to help her friend and deal with that fat principal who reminded her far too much of Vernon with how he covered everything up.

Honestly, she found it ridiculously simple to get rid of him. All she had to do was offer up a way to get some _good_ press after the Kamoshida fiasco and make a few minor demands to help them wipe their hands clean of it to bring the schools reputation back up. And it wasn't like she was unable to afford it. The amount she was giving up to the other students was something she made back in interest in a few months.

She was sure there were several students who lost the chance to get scholarships, with how ridiculously strict the Japanese were about reputations of not only the individual, but their family members as well.

While she couldn't make up for months of physical and psychological abuse, offering up a scholarship would at least give them something to hold on to.

Hell, Ryuji's reaction alone made the expense worth it. If it wasn't for the fact she knew male pride would almost certainly lead to him _rejecting_ it directly, she would have offered it sooner. Doing it a roundabout way like this was fun too, since it meant she could enjoy the honest reactions to those who had suffered under that prick.

Even if less than a week later, Takamaki quietly sidled up to her while Ryuji was getting drinks.

"You're the source of the mystery scholarships, aren't you?" she asked.

"I prefer to operate under the term 'plausible deniability'," said Haruhi diplomatically. "But if I _were_ the one to offer the scholarships, I would ask that you keep quiet about the matter to Ryuji. I don't want him to feel like he owes me for it, or remind him that I have a massive inheritance."

Ryuji felt a bit of guilt because Haruhi was always sharing the fake gun model kits she bought, claiming she 'bought too much'. To be fair, she liked being able to share hobbies and she found it fun to compare the models they made. Besides, it helped during their heists.

As for the medicine, Haruhi saved quite a bit because she kept up her potion skills. Not only was it good practice for Futaba, but it meant her kit of healing potions was kept full for emergencies. Fortunately the other had bought into the lie that her mother was an 'herbalist'.

Takamaki remained mostly silent, but the quiet 'thank you' was honest and heartfelt and made the entire thing worth it. She knew how much this scholarship meant to Ryuji and she was happy Haruhi was doing it in a way that wouldn't hurt his pride.

Besides, this actually benefited her friend Shiho as well.

"By the way, did you ever do that nude for Yusuke?" asked Takamaki slyly.

Haruhi blushed to the tip of her ears.

"Why are you bringing that up?"

"Well you two have been spending a lot of time together alone, and I know you have a shared interest in art," said Takamaki laughing.

Takamaki couldn't help but think Haruhi was a cute girl with how she was reacting...a girl who had a massive crush on the guy but was a little too dense to pick up on the signs.

Considering all the teen had done for them, Takamaki had the feeling the best way to get it through Haruhi's skull that he liked Yusuke was for the artist to make the first move. From what she could tell, Haruhi empathized a little too strongly with the victims of Kamoshida's abuse for it to be a coincidence.

The look on _Yusuke's _face when she brought it up was equally amusing. However the expression he had in his eyes was enough to make Takamaki happy...especially since less than a day later he discreetly asked Haruhi out on a date.

Ryuji looked at her.

"Did you plan this?"

"Come on, the two of them are cute together and besides Haruhi could use something to relax him. Especially since we finally got through with our midterms."

"True," conceded Ryuji.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy Birthday Props to my girl AmaltheaLuchiaAizen! Hope you enjoy your special day! Sorry it took so long to post birthday wishes! ^_^**

* * *

"Ryuji...I don't know how, I don't know when, but I _will_ get you back for this," said Haruhi ominously.

Coming from the girl who pranked Kamoshida ten ways to Sunday in humiliating ways, that was downright terrifying. Ryuji could only take solace in the fact Haruhi didn't actually hate him and was just annoyed with him.

"Did you really tell him that the trip to the ramen factory had been called off?" said Ann.

"Come on, you know the TV station is better!"

"And the fact Haruhi had made it abundantly clear he despises the media is of no consequence to you?" deadpanned Ann.

Ryuji had the grace to wince at that one.

"It slipped my mind."

Haruhi's annoyance lasted right up until she saw detective pretty boy... I mean _Akechi_ again.

Suddenly her sour mood changed to dark amusement as she was called on the spot _on live TV_ to add her opinion about the Phantom Thieves.

"Personally I think there's a separate group that's causing these mysterious accidents."

"Separate group?" repeated Akechi, openly surprised.

"You claim the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are evil because they change criminals who have hidden their tracks into decent people who admit their crimes so that they can finally be punished by the proper authorities. And yet you have provided no evidence that the Thieves are also behind the strange accidents which have hurt so many."

"The fact they possess an uncanny ability to change people with no known method is proof enough," said Akechi quickly.

"And yet if they were in it for the notoriety, why wouldn't they announce the fact they were behind the accidents publicly? So far the only known 'victims' are a gym teacher who openly admitted to raping his student and a plagiarizing artist who took in and abused his students for their work. Not to mention the cards have two distinct writing styles, indicating they're still relatively new to their work," Haruhi calmly pointed out, which caused the audience to murmur among themselves at the logic.

It was true...so far the only 'victims' of the Thieves were people that deserved punishment. While the thieves did cause their targets to confess, they left the actual punishment in the hands of the proper authorities.

"Furthermore the people targeted are too random, and have never actually received one of the infamous calling cards. All signs point to the thieves being recent, and therefor not the culprit behind the strange incidents of people acting out of character," Haruhi continued. "Even the 'Phan-site' only appeared _after_ the Kamoshida incident, and there wasn't even a hint of the thieves existing before that point."

"You sound like a supporter of the thieves," said Akechi, though while he appeared to be smiling the expression didn't reach his eyes at all. He looked pissed, in Haruhi's opinion.

"I prefer to have all the facts, not just the cherry picked ones designed to inspire the media to write up false accusations against innocent parties," said Haruhi flatly.

"So what is your honest opinion of their methods?" asked Akechi.

"While I agree that whatever they are doing could be considered morally dubious, the simple fact is that so far their actions could fall into a gray area based on the fact that none of their actual targets have been harmed outside of changing their moral compass back to acceptable standards. They don't take the law unto themselves, they merely convince their target to seek their just due," said Haruhi without hesitation.

"Why not reveal themselves then?"

"For the same reason that victims of their targets only come forward after the fact. Retaliation. Just because they have some ability to change people's hearts doesn't mean they are invulnerable in their civilian form. Never mind the fact that their own families could be targeted by the people they go after. Japan is a very family oriented society and the wrong thing said by the media could utterly destroy not only their reputation, but their families as well."

It was pretty clear Haruhi had won this particular argument by the way the audience was nodding slightly in agreement.

From the glee in the eyes of the woman holding the microphone, there was a pretty good chance this show was going to be re-aired later.

"Seems Japan's modern day Sherlock Holmes has been thoroughly outwitted!" she said with cheer.

"Actually Sherlock Holmes hated the media. The books in question were memoirs written by his associate Doctor John Watson, as Holmes was not a fan of the press in the least with how often they blew things out of proportion," said Haruhi absently. "He certainly never would have gone on any talk shows unless he was being blackmailed rather thoroughly by his brother Mycroft."

Ryuji and Ann hid a snicker at the annoyed look on the older woman's face at being corrected on fictional characters.

They were so recording this episode later for a good laugh.

* * *

_Later that night..._

"Did you really embarrass Akechi Goro on live television?" asked Yusuke as they watched the recording.

"Every half-wit detective wants to pretend they're the next Sherlock Holmes. Almost none of them bother to actually _read_ the books or get their facts right about him," said Haruhi disgusted. "Holmes didn't do it for the fame, he did it for the _challenge_ and he hated the media. It was _Watson_ who wrote about their adventures that made them famous after the fact. Never mind the fact that Holmes wasn't a _private_ detective in the first place. He was a _consulting_ detective. He was never actually _paid_ for his services."

"You seem to really take it personally, nee-san," said Futaba.

"I'm British, and I find it annoying when people make references that they don't bother to research properly. How would you feel if someone pretended to know art and started spouting famous names that they never studied in the first place or pretended to know coding when the best they could do is use someone else's work as a base?" said Haruhi sourly.

Yusuke and Futaba both had a pained look on their face at the comparison.

"Point taken," said Yusuke. He found those types of critics particularly trying to deal with.

* * *

Haruhi didn't know why the student council president was confronting her...though she would have a rather strong word with Ryuji regarding his loud mouth if they were this easily caught.

However she took one look at the girl's eyes...and her first thought was of Hermione.

Which was why she did something rather impulsive and likely to get her punched or slapped.

She dragged Makoto onto the roof, made sure the door was closed and hugged her.

"What are you...?!" said Makoto, blushing furiously.

"You don't need to hide from me. I can tell you're under a tremendous amount of stress from that pig of a principal to find the thieves, never mind keeping your grades up and having to deal with the students who no longer trust you because you were unaware of what Kamoshida was doing. And I highly doubt things at home are any easier, with a high strung older sister like yours," said Haruhi.

Makoto stared at her, absolute shock filling her features.

"How did you..."

"You remind me strongly of a friend of mine back home. She didn't really connect well with others and took to using books as protection against the pain of spiteful children who didn't like being shown up by a 'buck-toothed know-it-all'," said Haruhi. "She was extremely rule abiding as well, until she realized the hard way that the rules of the adults only worked if the adults themselves were willing to follow them in the first place."

Makoto was silent, still in shock over the warm hug and the understanding tone of Haruhi's voice.

"Which is why I can tell you're under a lot of stress trying to uphold the expectations of the adults around you, especially those in authority. You're trying so hard to please everyone that you're killing yourself by the inches in the process. Eventually something is going to give and unless you find a suitable outlet, it's not going to be pretty at all."

Makoto flinched. Haruhi had pretty much nailed that on the head.

"What do you suggest I do then? If I don't turn in the Phantom Thieves then..."

"The Principal is on the way out. There's no denying that and the 'mystery benefactor' who made it clear they want him replaced might start demanding the school board bring in his replacement sooner. So stall for time...and come with us so you can see what it is we're actually doing, to see if our methods satisfy your own sense of justice," said Haruhi.

"And if I find it wanting?"

"Then turn us in. We're trying to do the right thing, using the powers we have to help others. If our methods are wrong, then having an outside perspective would only help us in the long run," said Haruhi.

Makoto was silent, but Haruhi could tell she had her.

"...One target. If I find your methods against my own personal morals then I will turn you in," she said finally.

_An hour later..._

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...what is _she_ doing _here?_" said Ryuji.

"She has a recording that could implicate us as the Phantom Thieves because _someone_ was talking a bit too loudly on school grounds," said Haruhi, giving Ryuji a Look_. _He backed down and winced at the implication. "Which is why I offered her an alternative. She'll join us on our next big job and see our methods for herself to determine if we are doing the right thing or need someone to reign us in."

"WHAT?" said Ann in shock. She wasn't the only one, Ryuji was stunned into disbelief as well.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Morgana.

Haruhi smirked.

"She reminds me of a friend back in England. She had a strong moral principle as well, but the reality was that she just needed the right friends to remind her that sometimes rules need to be bent for real justice to be done because the adults in charge were too corrupt to be trusted with it."

Yusuke was the first to translate that.

"You think she could be like us, and is merely waiting for the right stimulus to develop abilities of her own."

"Once she drops the good girl act I'm sure Makoto-chan would be an excellent addition to our group."

"Hold on, I never said I would join you!" said Makoto.

"Look, the truth is that you can either make the authority figures in your life happy and be miserable, or show your real self and finally be done trying to please everyone for false gratification from people who just want to use you for their own selfish benefit," said Haruhi flatly. "I'm not saying you need to become a delinquent, but perhaps it's time to quit letting the adults in your life push you around because they're older and show that you're grown up enough to handle real life as opposed to a cage."

Makoto looked almost as if Haruhi had struck her, as her words hit entirely too close to home for the other girl to be remotely comfortable with.

"You do realize that if things go wrong and I turn you in then your probation will be revoked," said Makoto.

"I'm British, so the threat of being in trouble for that fake charge never bothered me in the first place," said Haruhi shrugging.

Makoto gave her an odd look.

"You're British? But your accent..."

"I had a lot of help, and my natural looks fit in closely enough with the general populace that I blend in easily," said Haruhi.

The fact she was technically _nineteen_ and therefor should have already graduated was something she would keep to herself. It wasn't like she cared about her age anyway, and it would only make things even more awkward than normal.

"So...who should our next target be, miss Student Council President?" asked Haruhi.

"Someone has been blackmailing students in Shinjuku. There are serious crimes attached," said Makoto, trying to find her footing again. Something about Haruhi caused her to see things differently, almost from an outside perspective.


End file.
